SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation deserves a full investigation

Sep 27, 2018, 2:09 PM | Updated: 3:52 pm

Ford...

Christine Blasey Ford testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

(Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

Is Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh guilty of sexual assault?

Ross: The Age of Denial is coming to an end

I honestly don’t know, but I do know that of all the people in the world, Kavanaugh should uniquely appreciate that there is a process to try and determine someone’s guilt or innocence. It’s called evidence based investigation. I hope the irony isn’t lost on anyone that a man who has spent his professional life placing judgment on others’ lives is being shielded from that same process.

I know it’s nearly impossible to set the blatant politics being deployed aside, but let’s all try and do that for a moment.

At this point someone is lying, that is clear.

Put yourself in Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s shoes. There are only two options here. What she is saying is true or Dr. Ford is a liar.

Let’s consider this for a moment. What’s the possible upside of a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine of thrusting herself into this maelstrom? Can any reasonable person conclude that Dr. Ford was living her life in Palo Alto, California, working away on the beautiful campus at Stanford, and then suddenly thought, “You know what I should do? Falsely accuse my old high school classmate of sexual assault. That would be fun. What could possibly go wrong?”

That seems unlikely, at best. But it doesn’t necessarily prove anything, does it?

So should it matter ultimately? Should the drunken behavior of a 17-year-old high school boy prohibit Judge Kavanaugh from sitting on the bench of the Supreme Court? What’s the line in the sand in terms of stupid mistakes we can make in our early years?

I drank alcohol before I turned 21. I’m sure most of you did, too. We were probably all at parties where something less than honorable happened in a bedroom where the door was closed.

But here’s the thing that we are all grappling with as a country: there’s a difference between youthful indiscretions and sexual assault. It’s what the #MeToo Movement is all about.

Isn’t it reasonable to have an independent party like the FBI do a thorough investigation without artificial deadlines? We only have one shot to get this right. The Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment.

Surely, regardless of your political persuasion, you want an honorable person in that black robe? Do a full investigation.

“What Are We Talking About Here” can be heard every weekday at 4:50 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. on the Ron & Don Show on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

FILE - A B1 bomber prepares to take off as police officers guard a checkpoint near RAF Fairford air...

Associated Press

2 men charged with UK national security offenses over incident at US-run military base in England

LONDON (AP) — Two men were charged Tuesday with national security offenses over last month’s incident at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run military base in England, prosecutors said. Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, and Nouman Essghir, 24, were both charged under the National Security Act, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Abdulkarim is charged with assisting a foreign intelligence […]

2 hours ago

A healthcare worker in protective clothing is disinfected by a colleague inside a treatment center ...

Associated Press

Congo’s Ebola outbreak tops 10,000 cases as authorities race to slow the spread in African countries

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 10,000 confirmed cases, government data showed Tuesday, as health authorities race to slow the spread of the disease in multiple African countries. It is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history and nearly half of the 10,060 confirmed to have the virus have died, […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Asian stocks advance following a rally on Wall Street and oil prices fall

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly higher Tuesday after an AI-led rally on Wall Street ahead of major corporate earnings and central-bank decisions. U.S. futures edged lower after earlier gains and oil prices extended losses. South Korea’s Kospi jumped more than 4% and closed 3.1% higher at 5,638.34. Computer chipmaker SK Hynix rallied […]

4 hours ago

Immigration authorities are seeking to deport a mentally ill man whose mother, lawyers and public r...

Associated Press

AP investigation: Documents support claim ICE has detained a mentally ill US citizen since January

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — For nearly a year, immigration authorities have detained and sought to deport a mentally ill man whose mother, lawyers and public records say was born in the United States and not Jamaica as he claims, a review by The Associated Press found. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no authority to […]

4 hours ago

FILE - Deputy Assistant Director for Counterterrorism at the FBI Nikki Floris, testifies before the...

Associated Press

Ex-FBI officials charged in the case about Hunter Biden’s laptop are due back in court

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI officials charged with lying to Congress about their participation in investigations involving Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, are due back in court Tuesday in a case their lawyers have described as baseless and politically motivated. The prosecution of Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, announced Friday, […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

US futures and Asian stocks advance following a rally on Wall Street

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were mostly higher Tuesday after an AI-led rally on Wall Street ahead of major corporate earnings and central-bank decisions. U.S. futures edged higher and oil prices extended losses. South Korea’s Kospi jumped more than 4% and was trading 3.6% higher at 5,667.99 by midday. Computer chipmaker SK Hynix surged […]

7 hours ago

Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation deserves a full investigation